Pleasure Garden: New Ceramics by Hana Rakena

Masterworks Gallery’s first exhibition of 2009 will be a solo show by ceramicist Hana Rakena.

Rakena finds her inspiration in organic shapes and the contours of the landscape. Trained at Otago Polytechnic, this Christchurch based artist translates the curvature of the land to voluptuous, hand built forms in ‘groggy’ clay.

Rakena writes: ‘Shells, stones and plants, and the effects of water, wind and natural forces on them inspire me. Also ancient pottery, Maori weaving and carving.

These pieces are coiled and pinched by hand over several days or weeks, then refined by scraping back with a metal scraper. The clays I use have grog (pre-fired and ground up clay) added, and this gives the texture I like. After bisque firing I cover each piece with a terrasigillata (fine clay slip) and gas fire them for 10 or 11 hours, leaving the final colour to the flame and atmospheric conditions of the kiln.

The perfection of a sea smoothed shell can never be recreated. Yet I aim for that purity of form, sensual feel and mysterious power in my ceramic pieces.’

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